Residents of Polk County and far beyond know Circle B Bar Reserve as a place to observe wading birds, songbirds and other wildlife — including alligators — at close range.
But the 1,267-acre tract in Lakeland has another purpose: absorbing and holding water that overflows Lake Hancock, which the reserve borders. Circle B has been performing that function since Hurricane Milton slogged through Polk County in the early hours of Oct. 10, dropping as much as 18 inches of rain in some areas.
Polk County’s Division of Parks and Natural Resources closed the popular site as Hurricane Milton approached, and Circle B will remain shuttered for the indefinite future. Gaye Sharpe, the division’s director, said Thursday that it’s too soon to guess when Circle B might reopen.
“We’re still evaluating it, but in talking to the (Southwest Florida) Water Management District and others, the lake is not increasing (in volume) right now, but with the volume and the water coming down from the other tributaries, we’re still not going to be able to open it up, so it’s still closed until further notice,” Sharpe said. “It’s just really too early because some of these other lakes are still bleeding off down into that area, so that’s why we can’t say.”